Key Takeaways
- The Portugal Golden Visa grants residency rights in Portugal, plus visa-free travel across the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- Golden Visa holders receive a 2-year temporary residency permit that can be renewed, leading to eligibility for permanent residency after 5 years.
- Portugal’s Parliament introduced a new framework in October 2025, extending the standard citizenship eligibility timeline to 10 years of residency, with reduced timelines for CPLP nationals and EU citizens.
- Golden Visa eligibility now centers on fund investments of at least €500,000, which makes professional legal and investment guidance critical throughout the 12 to 18-month application process.
- Advisors such as VIDA Capital help investors access the VIDA Fund and navigate each step of the Golden Visa process; you can request personalized guidance for your Portugal Golden Visa strategy here.
Understanding the Portugal Golden Visa: How the Program Supports Long-Term Residency
Portugal Golden Visa overview
The Portugal Golden Visa Program attracts foreign capital while creating a route from temporary residency to permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship. This residency-by-investment structure allows non-EU investors to secure residency in Portugal and a path to citizenship of an EU country through qualified investments.
Core benefits include visa-free travel across the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, broad family inclusion, and minimal physical presence requirements. Portugal requires only 14 days of presence in each 2-year period, which makes the program suitable as a Plan B for families who do not want to relocate immediately.
Initial residency permit: the first 5 years
Golden Visa approval grants a temporary residency permit valid for 2 years. You must then renew it for two additional 2-year periods while maintaining your qualifying investment and minimum stay requirements throughout the 5-year period. At that stage, you can apply for permanent residency in Portugal.
Legal counsel is essential from the start for documentation, online submissions, and renewals. Experienced immigration lawyers help align your case with current AIMA rules and reduce the risk of delays or refusals.
The Golden Visa Application: A Step-by-Step Journey
Step 1: Prepare documents and assemble your advisory team
You begin by selecting an advisory partner, such as VIDA Capital, to help you structure your investment and connect you with specialized Portuguese immigration lawyers. This combined advisory and legal team builds your application strategy around your family profile and risk tolerance.
Key administrative tasks include obtaining a Portuguese NIF (tax identification number) and opening a local bank account. Your lawyers can usually complete these steps remotely through powers of attorney, which simplifies preparation before you commit capital.
Step 2: Select and complete your qualifying investment
Current Golden Visa rules require a minimum €500,000 investment through eligible investment funds. The VIDA Fund, advised by VIDA Capital, offers asset-backed exposure to Portugal’s hospitality sector by buying and transforming existing hotel and hospitality assets to give them a second life. This approach focuses on capital preservation through ownership of tangible assets rather than purely cash-flow-based strategies, while meeting Golden Visa criteria.
The VIDA Fund has a defined lifecycle and targets specific return ranges, and historical returns are not a guarantee of future returns. The fund structure, asset selection, and exit timeline should be reviewed carefully with both your advisor and your lawyer before subscription.
Discuss VIDA Fund participation and its role in your Portugal Golden Visa plan.
Step 3: Submit your application and attend biometrics
Your lawyer submits the online Golden Visa application for you and all eligible family members. After AIMA issues preliminary approval, you attend an in-person appointment in Portugal for biometric data collection.
The overall Golden Visa process usually spans 12 to 18 months. Timelines for individual stages, including biometrics and card issuance, vary based on AIMA’s workload, so continuous follow-up from your legal team is important.
Step 4: Manage your temporary residency permits (years 1–5)
Your first residency card is valid for 2 years and allows you to live, work, and study in Portugal while traveling within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The residency right applies only to Portugal, not to the wider European Union.
Renewals typically fall in year 2 and year 4, with evidence of investment maintenance and proof that you stayed in Portugal at least 14 days per 2-year period. As the approval card issuance usually takes about a year, you will most likely only need to complete one renewal rather than two during the 5-year period.
Step 5: Apply for permanent residency after 5 years
Maintaining your Golden Visa for 5 years makes you eligible to apply for permanent residency in Portugal. Permanent residency gives you the right to work, live, and study in Portugal indefinitely, along with continued visa-free Schengen travel within the 90/180-day rule.
Legal guidance remains important at this step to confirm that your stay records, investment documents, and criminal record checks meet long-term residency standards.
From Residency to Portuguese Citizenship: The Updated 10-Year Framework
Step 6: Understand the new 10-year citizenship timeline
Portugal’s Parliament approved a new legal framework in October 2025 that lengthened citizenship eligibility timelines. Standard applicants must now reside in Portugal for 10 years before qualifying for citizenship, compared with shorter periods that applied in previous years.
Nationals of Portuguese-language countries (CPLP) and EU citizens benefit from a reduced 7-year residency requirement. The new law should apply to all Golden Visa holders except those who submitted their citizenship application before the new law was published.
Step 7: Meet citizenship eligibility criteria
Candidates for Portuguese citizenship must demonstrate A2-level Portuguese language skills, maintain a clean criminal record, and continue to hold their qualifying Golden Visa investment until citizenship is granted. The A2 threshold reflects basic conversational ability and everyday communication.
Many families start language classes early in the residency period so that meeting the language requirement feels manageable by the end of the 10-year qualifying period.
Step 8: Submit your citizenship application
After completing the required residency period and meeting all criteria, you can file your citizenship application with the Portuguese authorities. The government fee is €250 per applicant, payable at submission.
Approval grants Portuguese citizenship and a Portuguese passport. This status provides freedom to live, work, and study in Portugal and any other EU or Schengen Zone country, together with access to public healthcare and education across those countries.
Request a review of your long-term plan from VIDA Capital’s advisory team.
Essential Considerations for Your Golden Visa Strategy
Portugal’s requirement of only 14 days of physical presence every 2 years distinguishes it from other European options that require full relocation. This light-touch residency model allows investors to maintain existing business and family bases while building a long-term position in Portugal.
Family inclusion can extend to spouses or common-law partners (with a marriage certificate or proof of relationship), economically dependent children who are full-time students and remain unmarried during the program, and parents or in-laws who are either over 65 or financially dependent on the main applicant. Document preparation for each category benefits from early legal review.
Costs include government fees of roughly €9,821.20 per family member across the entire program, legal fees that often range from €16,000 to €20,000 per family, and fund subscription fees that vary by provider. The VIDA Fund charges a 1 percent subscription fee on the invested amount.
Structured professional support from both lawyers and advisors such as VIDA Capital reduces administrative workload and helps you stay aligned with evolving legislation over the full 10-year citizenship journey.
Portugal Golden Visa Compared with Greece and Spain
Why Portugal remains a strategic Plan B
Portugal is currently one of the only countries in Europe that offers a clear path to citizenship through investment without requiring relocation. Greece and Spain require you to live there to maintain long-term residency, which changes the profile of those programs.
|
Feature |
Portugal Golden Visa |
Greece Residency by Investment |
Spain |
|
Investment Minimum |
€500,000 via investment funds |
Typically €250,000–€800,000 in various property types |
N/A, Golden Visa program discontinued |
|
Path to Citizenship |
10 years of residency (7 for CPLP and EU nationals) |
Citizenship requires at least 7 years of living in Greece and paying taxes |
N/A |
|
Residency Requirement |
14 days every 2 years |
Must reside in Greece to keep long-term residency |
Standard Spanish residency rules |
|
Investment Focus |
Investment funds |
Primarily property-linked options |
N/A |
Spain no longer offers a Golden Visa program, and Greece requires genuine relocation and long-term tax residency to access citizenship. Portugal’s 14-day stay requirement every two years keeps it highly competitive for investors who want a European Plan B without uprooting their lives.
Explore how a fund-based Portugal Golden Visa can complement your global mobility plan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between permanent residency and citizenship in Portugal?
Permanent residency allows you to live, work, and study in Portugal indefinitely and continue to travel in the Schengen Area within the 90/180-day rule. Citizenship gives you a Portuguese passport and full rights to live, work, study, and access public healthcare and education in any EU or Schengen Zone country.
Can I include my family in the Portugal Golden Visa application?
Yes. The Golden Visa can include your spouse or common-law partner (with a marriage certificate or proof of relationship), economically dependent children who are full-time students and remain unmarried during the program, and parents or in-laws who are either over 65 or financially dependent on you. All included family members receive the same residency rights in Portugal and the same pathway toward citizenship.
What happens to my investment after I obtain citizenship?
You must maintain your qualifying Golden Visa investment until you receive citizenship under the new 10-year framework. After citizenship approval, you can usually exit the investment, subject to the terms of the specific fund or structure you chose. The VIDA Fund, for example, has a 6.5-year lifecycle and targets specific return ranges, and historical returns are not a guarantee of future returns.
Is a Portuguese language test required for citizenship?
Yes. Citizenship applicants must show A2-level Portuguese language proficiency, which reflects basic conversation skills and comprehension of everyday topics. Many Golden Visa investors begin language classes during the first residency years so that the language requirement feels achievable by the time they reach their 10-year milestone.
Conclusion: Building a Long-Term Plan B with VIDA Capital
The Portugal Golden Visa continues to offer a structured, fund-based route from residency to citizenship, even with the extended 10-year timeline introduced in 2025. Flexible stay requirements, broad family coverage, and a residency path that does not force relocation make the program well suited for globally mobile families seeking a resilient Plan B.
Portugal ranks among the safest countries in the world and benefits from a tourism sector projected to represent 22.6 percent of national GDP by 2035, which supports the long-term fundamentals of quality hospitality assets.
VIDA Capital operates as an advisory firm that supports investors in accessing the VIDA Fund, which buys and transforms hospitality properties in Portugal to give them a second life. Asset-backed exposure, combined with experienced legal partners, helps investors pursue residency and future citizenship while managing risk over a 10-year horizon.
